Honey Jack Salted Caramels

Are you salivating yet? Holey Moley!

I knew this was to be my 200th official post so I really wanted to try something special and out of my comfort zone. I’ve had a candy thermometer in the kitchen drawer for probably two years now with the intention of making some sort of candy. I was intending to make my ultimate treat; home made marshmallows but then I saw this recipe pop up on the bon apetit feed and I knew I would be squeezing in just one more recipe for treats before we left for the farm.

On first glance the recipe doesn’t look that involved but I will tell you to read it thoroughly, then read it again (make a list, check it twice sort of thing). Since this was my first time making candy I should have read the recipe better but I just thought I could throw it together. In hindsight, there probably is a reason you need to cut up the butter into small pieces. And I’m guessing (!) maybe, just maybe it’s because if you just lob the whole stick into the super hot sugar mixture, it super cools and forms into one huge solid blob that rips apart your whisk. Yikes. Luckily, I didn’t throw the whole mess out and was able to get the blob back up to temperature so that I could carefully break it apart being very careful not to splash molten sugar all over my self. One burn for the holiday season is enough and that’s a story for another day.

Honey Jack Salted Caramels

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 14 oz can condensed milk

1/2 cup unsalted butter cut into small pieces

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp Honey Jack Daniels (bon apetit used bourbon)

Flaky sea salt

Lightly coat an 8×8” baking pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2” overhang on 2 sides; spray parchment.